Sunday, January 31, 2010

Ciabatta: Baking Through the Bread Baker's Apprentice

I love this recipe. I have blogged about it before and I make it on a regular basis. I have made the poolish version and the biga version, and have made it with water and with soymilk. This time I made ciabatta rolls so I can enjoy some tasty sandwiches this week.

GENERAL NOTES1. I prefer making this with water, since it makes for a nice chewy loaf with the characteristic holes. Soy milk is nice if you want a softer loaf.2. I prefer the poolish version.3. To make the rolls, I divided the dough into 10 portions, then folded each one like the larger loaf. I baked them for 14 mins.4. I make the dough with the full 6 oz of water, and sometimes a few splashes more. A wet dough is what leads to the holey structure.5. I have never made this by hand, but instead rely on my stand mixer to work the dough.